Community demands transparency on wind turbine safety in New Jersey
- The Save Long Beach Island group has requested greater transparency and safety evaluations for wind turbines chosen for the Atlantic Shores South Project.
- There has been a notable increase in turbine failures in recent years, with specific concerns about Vestas turbines, which are being utilized in the project.
- The community's fears stem from recent incidents and a lack of thorough safety studies.
In New Jersey, a group named Save Long Beach Island is urging for increased transparency and a detailed safety analysis of wind turbines planned for the Atlantic Shores South Project, which intends to install 200 turbines 8.7 miles offshore. This call for action follows a series of turbine failures, including the recent collapse of a wind turbine blade from the Vineyard Wind project off Nantucket, which alarmed the community. The founder of Save Long Beach Island, Robert Stern, expressed heightened concerns after witnessing this incident, relating it to a larger trend of turbine collapses both domestically and internationally. From April to November of this year, there have been nine known incidents of wind turbines collapsing, with four incidents involving Vestas turbines, the same manufacturer selected for the Atlantic Shores South Project. The community is particularly worried about the structural integrity of the proposed Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines, which have yet to be proven effective in marine environments, as only land-based prototypes have been tested. Industry insiders note that the rapid leap in turbine size, such as from 8 megawatts to 15 megawatts, has been linked to increased failures due to production and quality stabilization challenges. Despite these serious concerns, approvals for the Atlantic Shores South project proceeded without the completion of a study recommended by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, raising further questions about the regulatory oversight and the safety risks associated with offshore wind energy development in New Jersey.